Electric metal-working apparatus.



A. F. RIETZEL L G. E. BARSTOW.

ELECTRIC METAL WORKING-APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.26,1908.

Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

z SHEETS-'SHEET 1.

Wlllli.

INVENTOHS fz i ATTORNE YS,

A. F. RIETZEL L G. E. BARSTOW.

ELECTRIG METAL WORKING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED DYEG.26.1908.

1,041,673. Patented 0@t.15,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

all

UNITED STATES `PATENT oEEroE.

ADOLPH F. RIETZEL, 0F CHARLESTOWN, RHODE ISLAND, AND GEORGE E. BARSTOW, 0F

LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 THOMSON ELEC- TRIC WELDING COMPANY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

:ELECTRIC METAL-WORKING- APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 15, 1912.

Drignal application filed May 11, 1907, Serial No. 873,081. Divided and this application lcd December 26,

' 1908. Serial No. 469,189.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that We, ADOLPH F. RIETZEL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Charlestown, in the' State of Rhode Island, (post-office address, Westerly, Rhode lsland,) and GEORGE E. BARsToW, a citizen oi the United States, and resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, (post-oilice address, Lynn, Massachusetts,) have invented certain new and useful improvements in Electric Metal- Vlorking Apparatus, of which the following' is a specilication.

@ur present invention relates more particularly to means, for avoiding arcing or sparking between the moving block or carrier and the block forming a terminal of the source of heating current and which movable block carries a Work-engaging block or coutact which leeds the heating current into the Work.

@ur invention is herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings as applied in a itorm ot electric metal Working apparatus for which We made application for Patent on Vthe llt-h 'day of May, 1907, application Serial Number, 373,981, and our present application is a division or that application.

While We have hereinafter described our invention as carried out for a work-engaging contactt slide movable to and Jlirorn the Work to loring the cont-act into and out of engagement therewith, We do not limit ourselves to any special construction or inanner ot mounting or sliding or movable contact. y v

Briedy stated, our invention consists in providing doubleconnection to the Werlienga-ging contact. from the source of current, one being through the bearing of the movable contact carrying block and guided on, and in electrical connectionwith, a hloclr' forming a terminal of said source, and the other heing a shunt connection, preferably ot flexible form, around the first direct connection from the terminal of the source to the movable contact carrying block or carrier.

Dur invention consists further in the specialcomoinat-ions of devices more particularlyhereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an enlarged side elevation of portion of an electric metal Working apparatus, einbodying our invention. Fig. 2 isan elevation of the apparatus looking from the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of a transformer serving as the source of heating current which issupplied to the work-engaging contacts.

Two slides or carriers yfor Work-engaging contacts are indicated at 70, 7l respectively. |These carriers consist of blocks of metal moving and guided upon metal blocks 72 and electrically connected with said `blocks through their sliding hearings. The blocks -72 are terminals or electrodes of a suitable source of' heating electric current shown herein as consisting of the secondary of a transformer Whose primary is indicated at 78. The usual laminated core for the transformer is indicated at 74. rlhe table to which the transformer and other parts of the apparatus may be secured or upon which they may be mounted is indicated at l.

lVork-engaging contacts borne by the movable carriers or slides 70 are indicated at Se, Sli. el similar pair of contacts, 85, 85L is shown as mounted upon a slide or carrier 7l. rThese contacts are further shown as pivotally mounted at 88, for a purpose to he presently described and to enable 'the-in to be operated in a manner which is more particularly set forth and claimed in our prior application beiore referred to. The number of contacts and the mounting of the same together .ivith the adjuncts for moving the carrier and for moving the contacts themselves on the carrier form no part of our present invention, the said invention relating more particularly to the manner of connecting the Work-engaging contacts themselves with the sources of the heating current.

The contact carriers constructed as usual oi heavy blocks of copper have a sliding or other moving guided bearing of any desired character upon the terminals 72 and are in electrical connection with said electric terminals through such bearing. The carriers may for this purpose be suitably grooved on their under surface as shown in Fig. 3 and to reduce the friction rollers 90, carried in frames 92, may be interposed.

To assist in guiding the contact carriers they may also be provided with lchanneled plat/es 93 as shown in Fig. 3 iforming the guide bearings for an upper set of rollers 94C superposed on which are bearing plates 95. Passing through the latter are `studbolts 96 which pass through longitudinal slots 97 in the carriers and are firmly tastened in the terminals 72. Plate springs 98 fastened by suitable nuts hold the parts vdown upon the terminals 72.

A connection independentof the moving connection from the terminal 72 to the carrier or 71 is formed by a dexible lead 115 of any suitable character firmly secured at one end as at 116 to the carrier itselit and its opposite or lower end secured at some convenient point on the terminal of the secondary as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This lead 'forms a shuntaround the moving connection between the terminals 72 and carrier 70 or 71 and prevents sparking and oX- idation so that the bearing for the contact carrying block or slide will remain unimpaired in use and will not tend to stick through oxidation or damage to its bearing surfaces.

'llhe work 6 here shown as in the form oit a chain link, is supported in the machine in suitable work holders which may be ot the form described in prior patent of A. F. Riet-zel, dated February 28th, 1905, No. 783,54t3. rThe movement ot the contacts themselves when pivota-lly mounted on the carriers or slides may be produced by the special mechanisms shown on the drawings and now to be described, it being premized that these devices are claimed in our prior application and that any other means might he used tor moving the slides and that they might he otherwise mounted without departing from our invention. 'llhe contacts themselves may be mounted upon levers 86, 87 and be secured thereto at their forward ends by screws 99. Springs 89 held by nuts operated by cam 101 to swing the two lower.

contacts. As will he seen, when the cams engage the rollers the contacts will be open as shown .in lFig. 2. When the cam rolls `drop into the recesses oft the cams the contacts are drawn together as shown in Fig. 1 ljoygthe action oit a suitably connected `spring A cam 110 on the shaft 13 serves to move the contact carrying slides toward and away Jill-rom the work. y

79 is a rock shaft mounted in bearings intacte on a bracket 780 and provided with an arm 111 terminating in a cam roll adapted to engage the cam 110. Extending from the rock shaft isa pair of links 81 connected with arms 83 extending from the rear ot the contact carriers 70, 71, and preferably insulated therefrom. Cam 110 advances the contact carriers while the contacts are open as shown in Fig. 2 and the contacts are closed upon the work by the action of the-cams previously described. Another cam 7 6 upon the shatt 18 withdraws the carriers by acting upon the cam roll 77 mounted on an arm 78 extending -from rock shaft 79. Obviously so far as concerns the invention herein claimed the pivoting of the contacts on the carriers and the special movements given thereto in order that they may be brought into position over the work and then moved laterally to engagement therewith are not necessary. v

Uur invention likewise is not conned to any particular manner ot mounting the contact carriers, in or on the blocks on which they have their bearing andwith which they are in electrical connection, nor to any particular means, whether mechanically or manuallyoperated, for moving the contact carl riers 1n or on their bearings or guides.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. 1n an electric metal working apparatus, the combination of a source ot heating current a work-engaging contact supplying current to the work and having a moving connection with the source ot heating current, and a leizible shunt connection around the moving connection and forming an unbroken path :tor supplying current from the source to the contact as and tor the purpose described.

2. lin an electric" metalworking apparatus, the combination of a transformer seconda-ry, a block ot metal forminga terminal ot said secondary, a current supplying contactV connected with the said secondary by a moving connection with said block and a direct con.- nection forming an unbroken path trom the sourceto the contact between the secondary and contact, said direct connection constituting a shunt around the moving connection tor supplying currentfrom the source to the Contact asand tor the purpose described. 'j

3. lin an electric metal workingapparatus,

a guide blocker hearing forming a terminal of a source oit energy, a carrler movable thereon and having electrical connection therewith through the bearing, a werkengaging contact borne by the carrier, and af:

dexible connection from the carrier tol the' source forming a direct unbroken path-.be-

tween the contact and source and a shunt 4l; lin an electric metal worhng apparatus,"

- a' source ofv heating current, a current supplying contact movable into and out of connection with the work ywhile the latter is properly supported within the machine, said contact having a moving connection and also a direct unbroken connection with said source, the latter connection forming a shunt around the moving connection for supplying current from the source to the contact.

5. In an electric metal working apparatus, lthe combination of a transformer secondary, a block forming a terminal of said secondary, acontact carrier guided on and in electrical connection with said block, whereby it may be moved toward and away from the work, a

l work-engaging contact on said carrier and a iexible lead between the secondary and carrier, said lead forming an unbroken direct shunt connection around the moving-connection between the carrier and the secondary 20 for supplying current from the source to the contact.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADGLPH F. RIETZEL;

' GEORGE E. BARSTOW. Witnesses to the signature of A. F. Rietzel:

JOHN D. WOODBURY7 J or-IN A. LENIHAN. Witnesses to signature of George E. Barstow:

W. H. HODGES, F. S. STEARNS. 

